Does My Bum Look Big in This?

It's a question posed in changing rooms and shopping malls across the UK every weekend - one every women asks and every man dreads… 'Does my bum look big in this?'

New research by Very.co.uk reveals that while 70% of women believe their men would give them an honest answer when they try on clothes in store and ask for their other halves' opinion, the vast majority of men (64%) admit to saying 'the right thing' in order to avoid causing rows and to keep the peace.

As a result, every British woman has an average of £104 of clothes they've bought in store but never actually worn - because of bad advice from their partner - totaling £2.34 billion worth of outfits left languishing in wardrobes that will never see the light of day.

Delving further in to the reasons why boyfriends and husbands don't always 'say it how they see it' when appraising their partner's prospective purchases, 68% claim they don't simply because they fear causing an upset. What's more, over one in ten (11 %) are convinced the cold hard truth could go so far as to ruin the weekend. However, it would seem honesty is the best policy as 82% of women say they'd rather know the truth before heading to the tills.

Reinforcing the stereotypical view that men aren't all that keen on being dragged around the shops by their partners on Saturday afternoons, a quarter of those polled admitted to having said an item 'looks great' on their woman purely to get out of the shop sooner.

Across the regions, there are stark differences in terms of where women can expect to get the most truthful feedback. Blokes in Birmingham are the most likely to tell a cheeky fib when quizzed on the fit of a pair of skinny jeans, while on the flip side it's the straight-talking Yorkshiremen of Leeds (46%) and Sheffield (44%) that can be relied upon to say exactly what they think.

Julie Donnelly, Head of Buying at Very.co.uk said: "The 'does my bum look big in this' question can be a tricky one for British men, particularly when it's put to them just outside of a busy changing room in a department store.

"Shopping online, from portals such as Very.co.uk, can be a much more productive process as men can give feedback in an environment they feel more comfortable and relaxed in - their own homes. Even if your man does tell you your bum looks big in a particularly garment we have a free returns process so you can easily swap it for something else!"

Check out Very's new competition 'Friends With Spends' for a chance to win up to £12,000 to spend on Very.co.uk for you and 3 of your friends. The competition is open on Very.co.uk Facebook page until 22nd of May.

For further information, please contact the Very.co.uk press office at Cow PR.

*1,000 men aged 18+ that are in relationships, and 1,000 women aged 18+ plus that are in relationships, were surveyed in April 2012 by OnePoll for Very.co.uk.

About Very:

Very is part of Shop Direct Group - the UK's leading online and home shopping retailer - which operates across 49 countries, including the US and Canada. The Group has 5m active customers. Very boasts celebrity collections from Fearne Cotton, Holly Willoughby and many more. The Shop Direct Group brands receive over 600,000 website visits every day. We deliver more than 25m parcels a year. We sell more than 800 brands - including leading fashion labels and our own brands.